London Bridge Chaos

London Bridge is ungoing many years of being rebuilt to enable Network Rail to serve long distance commuters better. Long distance commuters are more profitable and they spend more at concessions. It has already seen the South London Line closed to make way for the rebuild and seen no increase in other rail services to Southwark rail stations.

To add insult to injury while the building works go on the services have become so unreliable that British Transport Police have had to deploy a visible presence during rush hours:

Police at London Bridge

 

 

 

Next week the new platform 14 & 15 open. Network Rail are fanfaring that they will be partially covered – but the old platforms 14 & 15 were fully covered and we also had a platform 16 Network Rail decided to remove. All those hundreds of millions to be treated as susipcious with permanent cop presence and platforms less protected from the weather.

Why can’t we have great public transport rather this dumming down to mediocre but yet at huge expense?

Well meaning Police?

26 June 2013 Boris closed the East Dulwich Police Station. This brought to an end our 10+ years campaign to save it. We stopped Labour Ken and Val Shawcross closing it. But Boris within weeks of promising not to close it and many other police station did the most massive U-turn.

The Met Police have used these closures to undertake a massive centralisation programme. We no longer have a dedicated team of 8 Police officers based in East Dulwich sharing cover with a similar team for Village ward. It worked well. Instead they’ve amalgamated 5 such teams and based them in Camberwell.

At last week’s Dulwich Community Council the Inspector in charge presented findings from a rudimentary time and motion study.

It showed:

–          16% of officer time is now wasted spent travelling, when assigned to Dulwich work, between Dulwich and Camberwell.

–          16% equates to the loss of 4 police officers from College, Village and East Dulwich wards combined – half a Safer Neighbourhood Team.

–          Reported crime down – roughly by the amount of crime previously reported at the East Dulwich Police station.

We’ve also stopped having regular meetings with police officers in each ward to tell them what residents and businesses are concerned about.

My experiences of Southwark and Met Police is that they could do with some real operational expertise applied to properly plan how they operate. It currently looks and feels as well meaning at best.

GP Chaos

We have an increasingly desperate issue about the Dulwich Medical Centre failing its patients:
But we also have the same problem at the Melbourne Grove GP:
Have you been affected?
We really need residents to formally complain. Many have they told me but nothing changes.
 

Deciding Planning Locally

In Southwark planning applications for schemes up to 50 new homes were decided at local planning committees. Southwark had eight to cover the whole borough and one main planning committee for schemes greater than 50 new homes.

These were swept away Southwark Labour. Supposedly to save money but the amount of money spent on each community council meeting is now so huge that you could hold the dames number of meetings as used to be held for less money.

It is so embarrassing that local schemes aren’t decided locally that Labour cabinet councillor Barrie Hargrove pleaded a special case for the Flood Alleviation Planning Application.

Sadly even Barris didn’t make any progress against the entrenched decision that local planning decisions shouldn’t be heard anywhere convenient for residents.

 

Southwark 20mph

Southwark is introducing 20mph speed limit on all roads except those controlled by TfL or the Dulwich Estate.

This has been a long time coming with the strategy agreed when Lib Dems led the council. Richard Thomas was the lead councillor on this years back.

But not much point making our roads 20mph without any enforcement.

The Association of Chief Police Officers have announced a course option for motorists exceeding 20mph as an alternative to a fine and or points on driving licences. The course would be for motorists travelling 24-31mph.
Avon and Somerset Police are the first ti pilot this course.

We need to persuade our Met Police in Southwark to also take this approach.

Do you agree most roads should be 20mph in Southwark?

New East Dulwich Cinema

I adore going to the cinema. I love the whole thing. All the way from the anticipation of going, watching the trailers to the credits and chatting about what you’ve seen.

For some time I’ve been encouraging cinema companies to consider East Dulwich. We recently had three chains consider East Dulwich and previously I’d even approached a real independent cinema Bermondsey Shortwave.

Finally the long awaited cinema company who have agreed, subject to planning permission, to open a cinema in East Dulwich on Lordship Lane is Picturehouse Cinemas – the people who run the Brixton Ritzy.

Next week they have public consultations about what they’re thinking of doing on the old Roman Catholic Community Centre, Thomas Moore Hall, 116A Lordship Lane.

DO PLEASE pop along and take a look at what they proposing….

Tuesday 4 March 6.30-9.30pm & Saturday 8 March 10am-1pm.

And let us know as your local councillors what you think.

Do you think it will bring extra vigour to Lordship Lane? Cause parking issues? Provide things for teens to do as well as us adults?

First Steering Group Meet

Sunday afternoon at my home the first inaugral meeting of the steering group for a new East Dulwich free secondary school met.

Inaugral new East Dulwich secondary school campaign steering group

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although I launched and have run with this campaign for many months it’s definately time to open it up to parents that have the time to help make it happen. I’m also keen that it becomes a cross party campaign. Ensuring enough good school places shouldn’t be political.

A dozen of us chewed over what we’d like to see. We agreed that it would be:

– co ed and non faith

– non selective but have good SEN provision and ensure boys and girls succeed and with gifted and talented.

– subject specialism of teachers and the school specialise working with some of our great world renouned South London institutions.

– engage with parents and supporters.

We also agreed to approach two school providers initially – Prendergast and Haberdashers – to see if either wanted or could fulfil our aspirations. At that point we would pass the baton to them to lead this campaign.

Party Wall Agreements

East Dulwich is a hive of residents improving their homes. Sometimes these improvements cause neighbours problems and even distress.

When such works take place within 3 metres (10 foot) of a neighbours garden or property a Party Wall Notice should be agreed between both parties.

I’ve just been given suggested formal wording a neighbour should write to neighbours improving. Hope you find it useful.

“I understand that you have submitted Planning Drawings to the Council for works to your property, both to the grounds level and loft.

I refer only to the proposed extension at the rear of your property and believe this could come under the Party Wall Act. I have taken advice and understand this if this is the vase that by law you are required to issue Party Wall Notices to myself as an immediately adjoining owner. There are other aspect to the Act other than just work affecting party wall and I further understand that the Notices may cover Excavation Works within 3 metres of an adjoining property and building up to the boundary ( a Line of Junction Notice).

I  the latter arises at all then the Notices must be service to me with the Planning Drawings showing the works.

If you do not comply with the above prior to the works starting on the site then I further understand that I can issue you with an injunction to prevent the works starting before issuing the Notices. Such legal costs will be recoverable from you though the courts including such other necessary costs.

I look forward to hearing from you concerning the above and of course also should you consider the scheme does not require such notices then please clarify this.

Yours sincerely“

 

Even small gifts influence behaviour

My day job is in procurement. It really compliments my home time being a local councillor. And occasionally being a councillor informs the day job.

I came across some really interesting peer reviewed research showing that even small gifts make a difference to peoples behaviours and decisions:

http://blogs.wsj.com/totalreturn/2012/12/21/the-big-corruption-in-small-gifts/

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/health/research/19beha.html?_r=0

Sadly almost all organisations don’t recognise these impacts and do allow such small gifts.

In both roles I’ve never accepted gifts. Sometimes I have eaten sandwiches at a suppliers remote premise. As a councillor I have never accepted anything. I have only had lunch with developers once and paid my part of the bill much to their consternation.

But some councillors haven’t taken on board this research and don’t just accept small gifts but gifts worth thousands of pounds. The research suggests it  must affect their decision making.

If you’d like to explore the interests of councillors see each councillors register of gifts and hospitalities on the Southwark Council website – http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200038/councillors_mps_and_meps/1367/your_councillors

The council leader Cllr Peter John has in just the last 12 months received £1,881.15 of such gifts and over a dozen dinner and balls tickets valued far in excess of this but the value hasn’t been stated:

http://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/mgListGifts.aspx?UID=189

 

Right to Contest – Dulwich Hospital

 The NHS could be forced to hand over part of the Dulwich Hospital site for a new secondary school after a local councillor formally referred the matter to Government Ministers.

A decision on its future will now be made by a panel comprising of Treasury Ministers and the Cabinet Office after I invoked new ‘Right to Contest’ powers to push the NHS, which owns the land, into selling it on. WS Dulwich Hospital 131216_Right_to_Contest_application_form_final

Despite the site being 27,000m² – the size of around four football pitches – currently less than a tenth of the space is being used.

I submitted the application earlier this month (5 February). I want to see at least half of the spare land used for a new secondary school to help plug the shortfall of permanent school places in the area. Land would also be available for the health centre already being planned on the site.

I believe this to be one of the very first applications of its kind in the country, after the new powers were introduced by the Government to free up public land and help boost economic growth. Launching the scheme in late January, Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander MP said the Government “should not act as some kind of compulsive hoarder of land and property” that could be better used for other purposes.

My application will now go forward for review by the Government panel, which will also see input from the NHS and the Department of Communities and Local Government before a decision is made.

It is amazing that after 20 years of false starts the Dulwich Hospital site is still in limbo. It is a criminal shame that so much land stands idle and under utilised for decades, especially when money is tight.

Dulwich desperately needs a new local secondary school – not children being bussed far and wide as Labour propose. That’s why we have submitted an application using new Right to Contest rules on the use of public land, which were introduced by Liberal Democrat Ministers in government.

We are on the side of local parents who want to see a new and much-needed secondary school in the area, and an end to Dulwich Hospital being left as an empty wasteland….

Dulwich Hospital cleared site